Archive for Astrology

While saying “Rabbits! Rabbits! Rabbits!” this morning as I listened to the howler monkeys that had awakened me from my slumber in Costa Rica where I was studying with my Qigong Master Robert Peng, I heard Steve Nelson “Mythic Astrologer“ urging me to pay attention – “It’s time! Get working on the Moon Magic post!” So here it is!

The astrology of February features Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The month starts with Mercury in its three-week retrograde that lasts until Feb. 11th. The result of the above planetary influence has created a powerfully introspective time for many people globally. As 2015 gets rolling thoughtful people everywhere cannot help but wonder where this global society is heading at times yet the Light at the end of the tunnel is the draw towards a reawakening of a “Wisdom Culture” in the near future.

We begin to turn outward again awakening to new life as the spirit of Winter Carnival rises within us. It’s time to frolic, dance and become a child again. Each of us is a child of this magical New Year coming to be. The new spirit that entered on Winter Solstice becomes conscious at Imbolc / Candlemas(Feb 1-4), the Winter Cross-Quarter. The New Year spirit is quickened to awareness during Winter Carnival ending with Mardi Gras Feb 17.

Carnival is the season to awaken the dragon that will be tamed during Lent. The bigger the dragon awakened and trained to purpose the more creative energy is available for the New Year. Traditionally lovers are chosen on Valentine’s Daybecause it’s easier to awaken and tame dragons in twos. While this may or may not be true, the techniques for awakening and taming dragons are pretty much the same for individuals as for twos.

Many celebrate Carnival and avoid Lent, others observe Lent but ignore Carnival. In general, those who ignore Carnival are more likely to be repressed emotionally while those who celebrate Carnival but avoid Lent are more apt to be dominated by their own passions. When both Carnival and Lent are given their due the vital force (symbolized by serpent or dragon) is stirred to life and integrated to power our new creation.

Carnival and Lent are important pagan fertility rites partially adapted by the Catholics. Placing ashes on the forehead was originally an Anglo-Saxon shamanic practice performed in the weeks before Spring Equinox. The purpose of ash (think carbon rings charged with solar energy) is to stimulate the brow chakra and draw up the spine the primal energy awakened in winter carnival.

The Chinese New Year, beginning on Feb 19 also signals an awakening of vital forces, it is celebrated by dragons dancing in the street. The dragon appears to be chasing (or is led by) a bouncing ball suggestive of dragon training or focusing on a goal.

When does a year really begin? Different cultures celebrate New Year at different times because the year begins on several levels. The Lunar New Year celebrated in China adds the vital emotional dimension. Each lunar year is symbolized by an animal, element and color. 2015 is a Yin, Green, Wood Sheep/Goat Year. The Chinese New Year celebration culminates with the Lantern Festival on the Mar 5 Full Moon.

Imbolc / White Rabbit Day, Feb 1 – Beginning Anew

Say White Rabbit first thing today for luck throughout the month. Number 1 days are like the Magician Tarot Key I. It’s time for a new magic rabbit Read More→

There is a palpable void in Charlotte, NC since the physical loss of our dear friend, Mythic Astrologer and guest blogger Steve Nelson.That being said… there is also an energetic fire created by Steve’s transition to the spiritual realm. Those of us close to Steve have sensed his presence in a more intense way in meditations of late. He was a bright Light in our community. a celebrationist extraordinaire with an uncanny ability to weave myths and spirituality together from all cultures – and he continues to leave a trail of Light for others to follow if you take a moment to go within and listen closely.

We are gathering together much of Steve Nelson’s wisdom, teachings and stories that we have so that we can find a way to share it to those who loved his gifts to us all as well as for those who had not been acquainted with his unique abilities to weave wisdom from various cultures. If you have some of Steve’s teaching, wisdom or information that you believe should be included in this collection, please let us know – you may forward it to us at info@shiftyourlife.com. Steve created a large community in our area as well as online with his posts, celebrations and teachings. He would want us to keep that community strong! We had our last planning meeting with him 10 days prior to his sudden health decline to embark on a new collaborative venture together to share ancient wisdom in a new way – while that project is thus far incomplete, we believe we can honor his intentions by assisting with spreading his information in the world as much as possible.

To that end, at this time of year he would share his wisdom regarding the Winter Solstice – in his own words:

Light returns on Winter Solstice for a New Year on planet Earth. At Winter Solstice the Druids celebrated their “Festival of Liberation,” a time when the soul is set free to dream a new world. This “day out of time” belongs to none of the 13 Druid tree months but stands apart as the Day of Mistletoe. The “golden bough” or Mistletoe is gathered on this day. Mistletoe symbolizes the Sun for the Druids and it is sacred to the Norse Sun god Baldur. By tradition mistletoe prefers to grow on lightning struck oaks and in places of natural power. The gathering of mistletoe on this day may be seen as a clever way to have people be in places of power at this special time. Gathering mistletoe on its day (Sunday December 21st this year) brings us to be in a location where soul liberation can more readily occur and the path before us can be made clear.

Winter Solstice is considered especially auspicious because whatever is seeded this day determines the nature of the year. The Druid calendar year is 13 months of 28 days, a total of 364 days. Winter Solstice, the “day out of time“, is the “day” of the magical “year and a day.” This 13-month calendar appears symbolically as 13 stars with 28 rays over the eagle on the U.S. dollar bill. Much of America’s symbolism comes from Masonic tradition and a good part of this in turn derives from the Druids. Such is the ancient gnosis coded into our western world. In truth the Druid wisdom was not vanquished but was internalized in our culture and the internal is closer to the eternal than are external forms.

Solstice means “still standing Sun.” Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere sets the course of the New Year on Earth. Winter Solstice is a moment in time (6:03 pm EST, 11:03 pm GMT Sunday Dec 21) and it is a 7-day period (Dec 18-24) when the Sun appears to rise and set at approximately the same points on the horizon. During this time the limb of the Sun touches the Tropic of Capricorn the lowest point in the annual cycle. Winter Solstice is to the year as the New Moon is to the lunar cycle. These cycles have similar phases so just as a new lunar cycle becomes conscious and viable when the crescent appears on the evening after New Moon so the New Year spirit or zeitgeist becomes conscious on Epiphany Jan 6.

Sunrise and Sunsetare important times during the days of Solstice and megalithic structures throughout the world align with these times. Only during Winter Solstice does the rising Sun strike the deep interior wall of New Grange, a great megalithic chamber north of Dublin. Only on Winter Solstice does the rising Sun fully light the interior of Calendar One, a megalithic stone chamber in southern Vermont. In Washington DC the Winter Solstice Sun rises along Pennsylvania Avenue to illuminate the Capitol Dome. These alignments were created more for their energetic effects than astronomical symbolism.

Mithras, the Persian god of Light and guardian against evil, was born in a rocky cave at Winter Solstice. King Arthur was born in a great stone castle high on a bluff on this darkest of nights. Arthur’s Round Table of 12 Knights has become a template for the Read More→

Steve Nelson, “Mythic Astrologer” and good friend of “The Shift Doctors” (Tracy Latz, M.D. & Marion Ross, Ph.D.), returns to share his wisdom. Steve is an astrologer who follows a Jungian mythological tradition. He was raised by a part Cherokee shaman Aunt Maude who learned much of her lore from Molly Runningwolf, the mother of Amanita Sequoyah, the last Cherokee medicine man officially recognized by the Eastern Tribe. Steve’s Indian name is Steven Red Wolf, his lineage is of the wolf clan, one of the 7 tribal groups of the Cherokee. Steve follows many of the Cherokee traditions especially as these relate to celebrations, the use of ritual fire and star lore. For more information about Steve Nelson see www.GaiaAstrology.com

The New Year seeded at Winter Solstice comes to consciousness during Candlemas (Feb 1-4), the Winter Cross-Quarter. The New Year time spirit quickens to awareness through Candlemas fire, Lunar New Year (Feb 10-25) and Carnival (until Feb 3-13) celebrations. We begin to turn outward again as the spirit of Winter Carnival rises within. It’s time to dance and become as a child again, each of us is a child of the New Year awakening.

Carnival is the season to awaken the dragon that will be tamed during Lent. The bigger the dragon awakened and trained to purpose the more creative energy is available for the New Year. Traditionally lovers are chosen on Valentine’s Daybecause it’s easier to awaken and tame dragons in twos. While this may or may not be true, the techniques for awakening and taming dragons are pretty much the same for individuals as for twos.

Many celebrate Carnival and avoid Lent, others observe Lent but ignore Carnival. In general, those who ignore Carnival are more likely to be repressed emotionally while those who celebrate Carnival but avoid Lent are more apt to be dominated by their own passions. When both Carnival and Lent are given their due the vital force (symbolized by serpent or dragon) is stirred to life and integrated to power our new creation.

Carnival and Lent are important pagan fertility rites partially adapted by the Catholics. Placing ashes on the forehead was originally an Anglo-Saxon shamanic practice performed in the weeks before Spring Equinox. The purpose of ash (think carbon rings charged with solar energy) is to stimulate the brow chakra and draw up the spine the primal energy awakened in winter carnival.

Every year is a new creation, a new Genesis. The New Year time spirit takes form in the womb of Winter and the world is born anew in Spring. This is a dyad creation, the double helix is the source of all life. God moves through equal partnerships, two lasers create a hologram. As yin and yang agree it will be, this is how the new world is born.

2013 is the Year of the Lovers Tarot Key VI. This card illustrates the new creation with its archetypal New Woman and New Man. Here Eve/Venus stands before her mythic apple tree which bears abundant fruit as the primal serpent is trained upward. The way of training primal energy to soul purpose is being remembered now and will be restored in this Year of Snake 2013. Paradise is regained as we learn what to do with the snake in the garden. Read More→

Steve Nelson, “Mythic Astrologer” and good friend of “The Shift Doctors” (Tracy Latz, M.D. & Marion Ross, Ph.D.), returns to share his wisdom. Steve is an astrologer who follows a Jungian mythological tradition. He was raised by a part Cherokee shaman Aunt Maude who learned much of her lore from Molly Runningwolf, the mother of Amanita Sequoyah, the last Cherokee medicine man officially recognized by the Eastern Tribe. Steve’s Indian name is Steven Red Wolf, his lineage is of the wolf clan, one of the 7 tribal groups of the Cherokee. Steve follows many of the Cherokee traditions especially as these relate to celebrations, the use of ritual fire and star lore. For more information about Steve Nelson see www.GaiaAstrology.com

Morning Star Venus rises now blessing this New World. Rising before the Sun helps us awaken to the new magic of this time. A planet long shrouded in mystery, Venus will reveal many of her secrets to us this year. Blessings can be received directly by focusing on the light of Venus and breathing deeply fully in and fully out. Venus rising before the Sun invokes the transforming power of love.Love rules this new world.

2013 is the Year of the Lovers Tarot Key VI. This card illustrates the new creation with its archetypal new woman and new man. The couple depicted here are Adam and Eve or Venus and Mars for this new world. Eve/Venus stands before her apple tree which bears abundant fruit as the primal serpent is trained upward. The training of primal energy to soul purpose is a key element of the ancient wisdom tradition that is being remembered now and will be restored in thisYear of Snake 2013. For lack of this basic training the world goes mad; as the ancient way of spiritual culture is recalled all is set right in this realm. Venus, goddess of the new dawn, empowers us to transform shadow to light and primal nature into love and bountiful creation.

Every 2160 years a new zodiacal age begins and everything changes as new symbols and new myths come to life. As the Sun transits Aquarius this year Jan 19 – Feb 18, mysteries of this New Age will Read More→

Steve Nelson, “Mythic Astrologer” and good friend of “The Shift Doctors” (Tracy Latz, M.D. & Marion Ross, Ph.D.), returns to share his wisdom. Steve is an astrologer who follows a Jungian mythological tradition. He was raised by a part Cherokee shaman Aunt Maude who learned much of her lore from Molly Runningwolf, the mother of Amanita Sequoyah, the last Cherokee medicine man officially recognized by the Eastern Tribe. Steve’s Indian name is Steven Red Wolf, his lineage is of the wolf clan, one of the 7 tribal groups of the Cherokee. Steve follows many of the Cherokee traditions especially as these relate to celebrations, the use of ritual fire and star lore. For more information about Steve Nelson see www.GaiaAstrology.com

Every 500 years the Phoenix dies and is born anew from its ashes, an old world passes away and a new world is born. 500 years ago a Native American holy man called ‘the Messenger‘ had a vision of a great eagle perched in the top of a World Tree. Degandiwidah saw that each branch of the tree was a tribe and all were united sharing a common soil. From this vision grew the Iroquois Confederacywith its symbol, an eagle clutching arrows, to represent the united tribes. The Iroquois pact inspired the more farsighted of the American colonists to form a similar tripartite system of self-government. Now 500 years later this same vision inspires the formation of a global round table of nations for our new world.

Every 2160 years a new zodiacal age begins and everything changes as new symbols and new myths come to life. Now we begin the new Aquarian Age. Every 5000 years a great Mayan cycle ends and a new creation begins; now we begin the era of the 5th Sun.Every 7000 years we begin a Millennium of the Sun and so it is now as we enter the much anticipated thousand years of peace. This month the stage is set for the convergence of many great cycles and the beginning of a new Read More→

Steve Nelson, “Mythic Astrologer” and good friend of “The Shift Doctors” (Tracy Latz, M.D. & Marion Ross, Ph.D.), returns to share his wisdom. Steve is an astrologer who follows a Jungian mythological tradition. He was raised by a part Cherokee shaman Aunt Maude who learned much of her lore from Molly Runningwolf, the mother of Amanita Sequoyah, the last Cherokee medicine man officially recognized by the Eastern Tribe. Steve’s Indian name is Steven Red Wolf, his lineage is of the wolf clan, one of the 7 tribal groups of the Cherokee. Steve follows many of the Cherokee traditions especially as these relate to celebrations, the use of ritual fire and star lore. For more information about Steve Nelson see www.GaiaAstrology.com

After the great storm, the world begins anew, this is the month everything changes. Nov 1-7 is Celtic New Year and it is the Egyptian Isia when Osiris is restored to life and a new cycle of creation begins. According to Tolkien’s Chronology of the Great Year (see Lord of the Rings: Return of the King), the Ring War ends and a new world begins Nov 3. The ‘ring’ is the ring of power to be broken in this time. The pattern of the new creation is revealed as we look within to discover our own unique note in the chord of the new creation. After the Nov 13 solar eclipse we all come to discover our own story line and from our unique vantage the whole story becomes clear.

The Isia is a 7-day ritual drama when Isis and her companions gather the pieces of the slain Osiris and restore him to life. Now the essential myths of all time come to life and are reintegrated like the many parts of Osiris being rejoined. In the Egyptian myth it is Isis who gathers the scattered pieces of Osiris and restores him to life. So in our present era it is the new woman who gathers the essential elements of spiritual nature and joins these together in a new integral myth for our time.

It is better to trust our heart and intuition rather than thoughts and external communications while Mercury is retrograde from Nov 6 until Nov 17 when the New Mercury cycle begins. Then a new magic enters our world and our minds are reformed fit for the new time.

A solar eclipse is Mother Nature’s most powerful editing tool. When an eclipse occurs above, things get eclipsed in the world below. As well as eclipsing old patterns of being this eclipse encodes a new creation story, Leading up to a solar eclipse outmoded patterns of thought and behavior are Read More→

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